Inheriting a farm

[Tree09]

Conibear 110. Peanut butter. Look up a bucket set for coons and modify it to use pvc pipe or sonotube or something. Fire up the grill Honestly I'm waging war against chipmunks, moles, and mice right now, and I'm winning. With the chipmunks I'm setting a 4 inch pvc pipe there for them to use as a highway with a rat trap in there, no bait, and am doing well. Maybe set a conibear 110 up in a similar fashion. For groundhogs a 220 set over their hole works great, when they come back out it's over. Make sure domestic animals, including kids, can't get to it because it will kill them just as easily. If it's really bad look into the air powered repeater kill traps, or maybe the spinning bucket trap of death. I tried the bucket trap for mice, 10 in one night, but if you don't empty them a couple times a day the water+mice+summer heat=vomit.

 

[flushcut]

.177 cal break barrel.

 

[pantheraba]

I have been doing some research about the farm to better understand how it came to be...as Grandaddy wheeled and dealed in the 1920's thru his death in 1988 it ultimately grew to about 500 acres. My cousin said he has a map for me from 1989 that shows the farm at its height. I have found maps from the 1800's that help track its history back then, too.

I went to the Valdosta, GA Lowndes County Court House and have spent a couple of days there poring thru deeds, plats, Grantor/Grantee books, etc. and am learning how to find a few things. I have maybe a hundred deeds to wade thru for about a 150 year period. There are more but I have not found them yet.

I did find this one very interesting. Grandaddy bought a sawmill...in 1923. The attached deed gives the details of the deal. He would have been 24 YO at the time...pretty good wheeling and dealing for such a young man. The details of what the purchase included are fascinating. I think this helps explain some of the unusual paraphernalia I have found in his shop. And I remember there was a big round saw blade just outside the side door of the shop...kind of like a pad to stand on as you went in the door; maybe a place to get mud/dirt off boots a bit. Maybe that was the 52" saw mill blade, 30 years later when I saw it. There may still be a cant hook head at the shop from this deal.

I have not found the "timber deed" referenced yet for 1923. I have found one for a 1929 deal where he was logging 155 acres at Skipper Bridge Rd near the Withlacoochee River. He was listed as "N.A. Boyett and Hahira Trading Company". I will have to research Hahira Trading Company to see what that was...his "business"? Or his partner?

The deed attached here shows where Grandaddy purchased an entire sawmill operation in 1923. Items listed in the purchase are:

No. 2 Frick saw mill
25 HP Frick Engine
40 horse Turn-Tulbler Boiler
One button saw rig complete shafting and pullies; belting complete
3 cant hooks
one circular saw (52" Ackinson saw)
2 Stilson (w)renches
3 log carts (5, 6, 7 inch tread) with chains for two carts
All pullies, shaftings and mil tools, including one craws (sic) cut saw
Said saw mill being know as the A.L. Webb and Company saw mill.
1 black horse mule 1100 pounds, named Jack
1 black horse mule 1400 pounds, named Jim
1 black mare mule 950 pounds, named Dallis
1 sandy colored mare mule 900 pounds, named Mollie
1 red mare mule 900 pounds, named Sallie
1 black mare mule 900 pounds, named Mary
6 head of Oxen (known as the Esery Webb Oxen
Timber described in timber lease executed by J.I. Simmons on the 9th day of De. 1922
1 two horse wagon
3 sets of mule gear
Ox Yokes for 6 oxen
1 saddle

That line where the typist left the "w" out of wrenches...might have been interesting if she left out the "r" instead.
Two Stilson wenches would have to make things interesting in Hahira.

 

[vharrison]

Gary, that is so interesting. I can’t wait to hear if Hahira Trading Company was his.

 

[pantheraba]

We checked the vault of records at the Lowndes County Courthouse and no record yet of the Hahira Trading Company...we found the Hahira Pool Hall about 1910, however. Not Grandaddy's..he was only 11 then.

We are at the farm this week. I came down yesterday with Landon and my niece, Josie, who lives in the log cabin now...she went to the vault with us. She has taken a big interest in family history and I showed her what I know about how to use Deed Records, Grantor/Grantee books, etc.

Today, Alex, his wife and Hayden, my 16 yr old grandson and Ma'Kaylen (the new 3 month old grandaughter)..they came down today. Alex ran the excavator and we did some preliminary canal cleaning before we cut the main dam to the pond about 3:30 this afternoon. We have a lot of water flowing...20 acres pushing water thru the breach. It's 11PM now and I just went to check things. Still flowing strong and saw the gator about 40 yards off the bank in the big pond. The beavers and gators are probably in a state of consternation right now.

Here's some picts:

 

[pantheraba]

And to the pond. We tried out our new 48" grading/ditching bucket today. I ordered it in July...we just finally got it last week! Supply chain. It will move some mud for sure. I have some videos that I will eventually post:

 

[pantheraba]

Dam cutting...removing a plug:

 

[pantheraba]

After the breach there wasn't much to do; so Alex put on the mulcher and finished the road dam mulching. While he did that, I went way to the back of the pond to check the beaver dam we cut a few months ago with the excavator. Rebuilt, of course. Once the pond gets down a lot we will cut that dam again...it empties into the big pond. And some night work before heading back to the homeplace for pizza and chocolate cake...yum.

 

[Tree09]

Pretty soon you'll wonder how you got anything done before the ex! Putting it to work man, love it.

 

[pantheraba]

It will definitely get stuff done. It's still amazes me.

 

[flushcut]

Looks good!

 

[vharrison]

You have permits for any of that? 😆😆😆 Here you would need the Army Corps and the Presidents approval. Georgia, probably not.

I love the memories being made there. I also love that you are teaching the kids how to research the history of that town and your families history in that town. You are a fine man.

 

[pantheraba]

You have permits for any of that? 😆😆😆 Here you would need the Army Corps and the Presidents approval. Georgia, probably not.

I love the memories being made there. I also love that you are teaching the kids how to research the history of that town and your families history in that town. You are a fine man.

Good question on permits. The answer is, no. We did it old school; think it out, be cautious, and do it.

We did study the stream maps and drive to the next downstream bridge to be sure the passage was adequate. Everything downstream looked good as far as we could tell.

 

[Bermy]

So what's the deal with beavers and the environment? Are they native? Why are they such a problems if they are just doing what they do?
I have no idea of this so quite curious, really!

 

[lxskllr]

They're good for the environment, but bad for humans. They'll cut down every tree in a river bottom, plug the river, and create a swamp. Take humans out of the picture, swamps are objectively good, but humans don't like swamps, and do like trees, so there's a problem with beavers.

 

[Bermy]

Ok, thanks for the explanation, always wondered.

 

[stig]

The environ thing is why they were reintroduced here in 1999.
Been nothing but farmers screaming about flooding ever since.

We've got more than plenty of farmers, so I'm with the beavers.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

They're good for the environment, but bad for humans. They'll cut down every tree in a river bottom, plug the river, and create a swamp. Take humans out of the picture, swamps are objectively good, but humans don't like swamps, and do like trees, so there's a problem with beavers.

And if you make coats and hats out of them, they keep human warm.

 

[pantheraba]

I just looked back over this thread and have a LOT to add. Teasers...I discovered there was an old cotton gin/mill on our farm...no one in the family ever heard of that. I have some documents I'll dredge up...dam survey cards that reference a "pre-Civil War dam" (now our "middle dam") and a cotton gin.

The REAL name of our pond is Boyette Gin Pond per the federal government. Grandaddy and most folks always called it Boyette Pond.

When we drained the pond a year ago we discovered the old stumps where G'daddy had to forests logged so he could have a bigger pond...the "Gin Pond" was probably 5-6 acres per 1908 maps...the current pond is about 20 acres. Here are a few stumps we discovered. Do forensics on these bad boys. More later:

 

[lxskllr]

That's really cool. The centerpost stump is interesting.

 

[treebilly]

I log these pics and the history of your place Gary. You’ve been busy. Did you retire?

 

[pantheraba]

Kinda sorta...I am still doing my main x-ray business....I take the office files with me when I go to the farm. Run the business from there. I have one really good customer that I work with. When they get tired of me I will retire.

 

[vharrison]

I just love the history that you are uncovering.

 

[FireFighterZero]

Good to see Gary here.

 

[pantheraba]

And glad to see YOU here, Capt. Jim.